Lincoln's Isaiah Whitehead had five points and six rebounds in his return from a left ankle injury.An Rong Xu

Lincoln’s Ethan Telfair had 11 points and eight assists in the loss to St. Anthony. (Denis Gostev)

Isaiah Whitehead was back Tuesday night in Jersey City and so was Lincoln – the Lincoln it envisions itself to be.

Displaying poise, fight and defensive prowess, the Railsplitters nearly upset national powerhouse and undefeated St. Anthony at the Jersey City Recreational Center. The Friars, ranked No. 3 in the country by USA Today, held off Lincoln’s furious late rally for a 51-45 victory, which extended its unbeaten streak to an incredible 56 games.

The Coney Island dynamo, meanwhile, has now lost five of six, though the Railsplitters (17-8) left a confident bunch – confident Whitehead will be healthy and effective for the upcoming PSAL Class AA playoffs and confident they can beat anyone if they can reproduce this all-encompassing performance.

“It was probably our best game,” Lincoln coach Dwayne (Tiny) Morton said. “We competed every play, especially in the second half. … It’s confidence for the kids. They feel they can play with any team in the country. It’s a loss, but it’s not a loss to end our season.”

In his return from a three-game absence because of a sprained left ankle, Whitehead scored five points and grabbed six rebounds. He lacked his usual explosion off the dribble and lift on his jump shot. But he said his ankle felt fine for the most part, aside from the expected “aches” he anticipated.

“It got much better since the Boys & Girls game,” he said, referring to the game he sustained the injury. “I was curious how it would feel running up and down the court, guarding people.”

St. Anthony was in control much of the way. It led 29-19 at halftime and by as much as 37-23 early in the fourth quarter. Lincoln never lost its focus, especially on the defensive end, and began chipping away at the lead. Telfair, the junior point guard, created havoc with his dribble penetration and spearheaded a 10-1 run with five points and two assists. His drive and dish to Whittingham brought the Railsplitters within 47-45 with 38 seconds remaining.

“He played a wonderful game today,” Morton said. “He controlled the game.”

The Friars responded with four free throws down the stretch, Telfair was tied up on a drive into the lane and Rakim Lesane missed a 3-pointer, sealing the loss.

It was Telfair’s finest performance since mid-December when he emerged in a pair of league victories over South Shore and Thomas Jefferson with Whitehead inactive. The two were together on Tuesday and Whitehead settled into the background as Telfair nearly led the comeback.

“Ethan took over the show,” Whitehead said. “I didn’t want to interfere with him.”

Lincoln is off for a week, until it begins its quest for a city title against Beach Channel on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. The Railsplitters left the Garden State with a hop in their step, disappointed with the loss but proud of how they performed on a big stage.

“We stayed focused, we stayed together,” Telfair said. “When we were down 14, we came back. We didn’t get down. It shows we’re a tough team when we’re together mentally. If we play like this, we can be the best team in the city.”